× By Benjamin Romano, The Seattle Times
Published: February 21, 2021, 6:26pm
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A cluster of small earthquakes far off the southern Oregon coast and atop Mount Rainier in recent days are common events, and would not have triggered a seismic warning system set for a test run later this week ahead of its rollout to the public this spring, a seismologist said.
“Neither of those sequences are of particular concern,” said Paul Bodin, research professor at University of Washington and manager of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
The ShakeAlert system, which is designed to give people and automated systems advanced warning before significant shaking starts, would not have sent an alert for either sequence “because no one would’ve felt them,” either because of their small magnitude or distance from population centers, Bodin said.
What if you could get a notice of earthquake shaking before itâs felt at your location? The technology exists, is already in place along most of the West Coast and operational for key infrastructure systems such as automatic water valve shutoffs and starting back-up generators.
ShakeAlert®, an earthquake early warning system powered by the U.S. Geological Survey, uses science and technology to detect significant earthquakes quickly so alerts can reach people before shaking arrives. These seconds of advance warning allow people and systems to take actions to protect life and property from destructive shaking.
In Oregon, ShakeAlert-powered alert delivery to wireless devices such as cell phones via the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) System, mobile apps and other technologies will begin as of 10 a.m. on March 11. No specific action is needed for WEA alerts and for cell phones using the Android operating system. The mobile app, QuakeAlertUSA, is currently available in Oregon.
State continues work to install earthquake early-warning system despite COVID-19 Abby Acone, KOMO News meteorologist/reporter
State continues work to install earthquake early-warning system despite COVID-19 UP NEXT
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not slowed work to track earthquake activity around Western Washington, and in fact, experts say they have made more progress in their efforts than ever before in a single year.
The work has been ongoing as the 20th anniversary of the devastating Nisqually earthquake nears.
On Feb. 28, 2001, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Puget Sound. Although the shaking lasted less than one minute, the impact of the Nisqually quake has loomed large over the region for the past two decades, leading to big changes in how scientists track these natural disasters.